Health

Migraines and chronic headaches aren’t just “in your head” — they’re real, debilitating, and often profoundly misunderstood.  While stress and excessive screen time are commonly blamed, millions suffer due to a wide range of underlying reasons. However, with a bit of self-awareness, consistent lifestyle habits, and medical support, they can be managed.  Every year, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is observed in June. While there are many misconceptions about it, let’s shift the conversation from stigma to strategy.  Medical dissect migraines to help you identify the type of your headache and aid better management with evidence-based lifestyle modifications. Decoding your headache could be the first step to reclaiming your peace of mind — and your life.   Common triggers for heada...

Australian researchers have pioneered a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool to assess the risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D).  The tool, developed by researchers at Western Sydney University, predicts treatment responses, potentially changing how the disease is diagnosed and managed. The tool utilises an innovative risk score -- Dynamic Risk Score (DRS4C) which can classify individuals as having or not having T1D. It is based on microRNAs -- small RNA molecules measured from blood -- to help accurately capture the changing risk of T1D. "T1D risk prediction is timely, with therapies that can delay T1D progression becoming recognised and available. Since early-onset T1D before the age of 10 years is particularly aggressive and linked to up to 16 years of reduced life expe...

Biomedical scientists have discovered that a genetic mutation associated with Crohn’s disease can worsen iron deficiency and anemia — one of the most common complications experienced by patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.  The study led by scientists at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine in the US — performed on serum samples from IBD patients — reported that patients carrying a loss-of-function mutation in the gene PTPN2 (protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2) exhibit significant disruption in blood proteins that regulate iron levels. This mutation is found in 14-16 per cent of the general population and 19-20 per cent of the IBD population. A loss-of-function mutation is a genetic change that reduces or eliminates the normal function of ...

Growing up, every one of us has been told to drink milk. While some love it, others hate it, but the importance of the food cannot be highlighted now more than ever before because of its many benefits. While its consumption is stressed upon among children and women, Mumbai doctors say, those in their 30s and the age group above that apart from working professionals need to consume milk or at least dairy in their daily life. Every year, World Milk Day is observed on June 1 around the globe to not only celebrate it but also raise awareness and recognise its role as a global food. Designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in 2001, theme for 2025 is “Let`s Celebrate the Power of Dairy” to not only highlight the nutritional value of milk but also how it supports livelihoods and drive...

Focus on food safety essential to protect health and well-being, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Food Safety Day on Saturday. World Food Safety Day is observed annually on June 7 to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats associated with unsafe food. This year’s theme, ‘Food safety: science in action,’ draws attention to using scientific knowledge as the key to reducing illness, cutting costs, and saving lives. “This World Food Safety Day, we come together to raise awareness about the essential role of safe and hygienic food in safeguarding health and reducing foodborne diseases. Food is the fuel that keeps us going every day. When we focus on food safety, we’re protecting our health and the well-being of families everywhere,” Nadda said, in a post on social m...

US researchers have identified a mechanism that SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes Covid-19 -- uses to protect itself inside the body as it works to replicate and infect more cells. Without this protective mechanism, viral infection is dramatically reduced, said the team from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Chicago. The finding, published in the journal Nature Communications, not only provides a potential target for new Covid therapies but also offers insights that could inform future vaccine and antiviral development. The study builds on earlier work from Texas Biomed that identified ORF3a, a type of viral protein most important for the virus`s pathogenicity, or ability to cause disease. Specifically, the team found that SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a appears to play ...

Women with early onset of periods, and later menopause -- which means a longer reproductive span -- can have a healthier brain ageing in life, according to a study. The study showed how a woman’s reproductive years may shape brain health later in life and also reduce the risk of dementia. It also suggested the role of oestradiol (or the lack thereof) in the development of dementia. Oestradiol levels rise at puberty, remain high during most of a woman’s reproductive life, and then decline sharply around menopause. This drop in oestradiol has been linked to an increased risk of dementia and other age-related brain conditions. “These findings support the idea that oestradiol -- the most potent and prevalent form of oestrogen during a woman’s reproductive years -- may help protect the brai...

Combining physical and psychological therapies -- exercise, along with cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness -- may have more long-term effects in treating lower back pain, a study has found. Researchers from Macquarie University, Australia, reviewed results from 75 clinical trials, involving around 15,400 participants, that looked at the effects of 20 non-surgical treatments of chronic low back pain -- massage, manipulation, pain education and injections -- over a year or more. Published in The Lancet Rheumatology journal, the findings show that "cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, exercise, and multidisciplinary care could produce the long-term benefits required to reduce the global burden due to non-specific chronic low back pain". "However, the effects are mostly sma...

Blood sugar responses after food, especially carbohydrates, may indicate metabolic health status as well as signal the risk of prediabetes, according to a study. Researchers from Stanford University in the US explained that the differences in blood sugar response patterns among individuals were associated with specific metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance or beta cell dysfunction -- both can lead to diabetes. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, suggest that this variability in blood sugar response could lead to personalised prevention and treatment strategies for prediabetes and diabetes. "This study suggests that not only are there subtypes within prediabetes, but also that your subtype could determine the foods you should and should not eat," said Michael Snyder, Pr...

Exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution during pregnancy can disrupt maternal metabolisms, altering key biological pathways, according to a study. These changes were associated with an increased risk of various negative birth outcomes, including premature birth, said researchers from Emory University. Preterm birth is also linked to complications such as cerebral palsy, respiratory distress syndrome, and long-term noncommunicable disease risks, while early-term births (37-39 weeks of gestation) are also associated with increased neonatal morbidity and developmental challenges. Approximately 10 per cent of the preterm births in the world are attributable to PM2.5 exposure. "The link between air pollution and premature birth has been well established, but for the first time we we...